OUR VIEW: Cruel intent

Readers have erupted in debate: Is it right for Dartmouth to pursue felony charges against a man accused of intentionally running over a mother mallard in front of her dozen tiny ducklings?

Some have made police the butt of their jokes, while others have called it murder.

The truth is, it was animal cruelty, plain and simple, just as Dartmouth police have said. Thankfully, that's a felony in this state.

Police say a 25-year-old Acushnet man hit the duck in the Dartmouth Mall parking lot and drove away laughing. The incident was caught on surveillance video.

Now 12 little fuzzball ducklings, too young to leave their mother, are being reared on a Westport farm for release into the wild.

The driver's excuse — that another vehicle blocked him from seeing the duck — apparently doesn't check out. Dartmouth Police Lt. Gary Soares, who has viewed the tape and interviewed witnesses, is convinced the hit was intentional.

Dartmouth is doing the right thing throwing the book at the young man, who will not be publicly named until a court hearing is held to determine whether there is probable cause to charge him.

Police aim to charge him not only with animal cruelty, but with at least six hunting violations. Their position sends a message that cruel treatment of animals will not be tolerated.

While the felony charge can bring five years in state prison, the sentence should include mandatory community service caring for animals, preferably wildlife, along with court-ordered counseling if appropriate.

Research shows animal abuse often co-occurs with domestic violence and can foreshadow other violence later in life. In one study, 85 percent of domestic violence shelters reported that women who sought help talked about pet abuse (Ascione, Weber and Wood, 1997). Law enforcement has long made the connection between serial murderers and a history of hurting or killing animals.

The hunting charges help police make a statement, but this killing is not about hunters' rights; it is about cruelty. The killer was not hunting. He did not plan to eat the duck. He was not exercising his constitutional rights, nor was he practicing his wilderness skills.

Instead, he crushed a mother for some sick thrill while her babies watched.

As the ducklings grow bigger each day, though, there's a bit of poetic justice. In the wild, rarely would all 12 survive to adolescence, dodging hungry predators like snapping turtles and raccoons. Now the orphaned ducks have a better chance of living to see their own broods.

The side of right, we hope, will triumph, and the driver will be held accountable.